


Till Darkness Comes

by debirlfan



Category: Fairy Tales & Related Fandoms, Little Red Riding Hood (Fairy Tale)
Genre: Alien Invasion, Alternate Universe - Aliens, Apocalypse, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-21
Updated: 2015-07-21
Packaged: 2018-04-10 10:24:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4388204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debirlfan/pseuds/debirlfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once upon a time, there were far worse things to fight than wolves.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Till Darkness Comes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sumi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/gifts).



> For Sumi - I hope you enjoy.

Red pulled the hood of her dark sweatshirt up over her head. She knew her fiery hair made her stand out against the muted grays of the city, and that was something she wanted to avoid. Knapsack swung over her left shoulder, she picked up her shotgun, checking to be sure the safety was off before cradling it in the crook of her arm. “Be sure you lock the door behind me,” she reminded her grandmother, “And don't open it again until you're positive it's me.”

Gram fussed with the knitted scarf she'd made that Red grudgingly wore around her neck, but to Red's relief, didn't argue about her wearing a heavier coat. “I will, dear. You be careful out there.”

Red opened the apartment door a crack and peeked out, ensuring that the hallway was clear before stepping through. She waited until she heard the click of the lock behind her, then started down the stairs.

Even though they had it all to themselves, the two-story apartment house wasn't a residence Red would have chosen, not _Before_ , and most certainly not _After_. If it had been up to her, she would have gotten out of the city entirely and found a house with enough open land around it to see anyone – or anything – that approached. But, it wasn't up to her. Her grandmother was old and set in her ways, and refused to leave the tenement. Red might still have been tempted, but as far as she knew, Gram was the only relative she had left, and she wasn't willing to abandon her.

One advantage to the city was that, for the time being at least, food was easy to come by. Stores had been looted, especially those that sold weapons, but with so few people remaining, there was still plenty of food. _They_ didn't eat, at least not anything that could be found at the corner grocery.

Reaching the ground floor, Red checked again before letting herself out through the foyer, locking that door behind her as well. The sky was empty and the street lifeless, the only movement that of trash blowing between the parked and abandoned cars, and a street sign that fluttered in the breeze. Somewhere, blocks away, a car alarm faintly sounded. She wondered idly how long it would bawl it's warning before the battery powering it would surrender and go dead.

She stepped out into the middle of the street, the safest place, where nothing could leap from a doorway and catch her unaware. There weren't nearly as many of _Them_ as there were in the early days, just _After_ , but _They_ still prowled, a continuing threat to the unwary.

Despite her cautious vigilance, the walk to the market only took perhaps ten minutes, and as she approached, she tightened her grip on the shotgun. While _They_ might have no use for the groceries, other humans would, and might be no less dangerous.

The door to “Angelo's” pushed open easily, the lock long broken. It stunk of rot inside, the forgotten remains from the market's deli decaying in their cases. Not for the first time, Red wondered what had happened to the older Italian couple that ran the market. She hadn't seen them since the day before the sky opened. Red hoped they had made it out of the city, but knew it was more likely that they'd been taken in the first wave. She pushed that thought aside, concentrating on ensuring that she was alone before swinging the knapsack from her shoulder and opening it.

The shelves had been picked over, choice items gone. She rummaged what was left, selecting cans of Spam and sardines, boxes of high-fiber cereal. The few remaining cans of pears went into her bag along with a couple bottles of seltzer. She hefted the knapsack, deciding she could still add a few items. She didn't want it so heavy that it hindered her movements. It was safer to stay behind locked doors, but she'd rather chance an extra trip than be so encumbered that she couldn't run if she needed to.

After a last look around, she grabbed some cans of condensed milk, then zipped up the bag and settled it onto her back. Red let herself out, allowing the door to close behind her.

Red headed back toward the apartment. Just over halfway there, she heard the quiet “Wirrr” just as the dark shadow of the ship passed over her.

“Shit!” She dashed for the nearest car and threw herself down beside it. Staying prone on the asphalt, she crawled around to the back where she could crouch low between that vehicle and the one parked behind it, praying to a God she had stopped believing in that _They_ hadn't seen her.

Shotgun held ready, barely breathing, she listened for the distinctive rattle-scrape of their chitin armor. _Damn aliens_. It wasn't enough that _They_ had descended in mass upon Earth and taken away the vast majority of the population, both human and animal. Now, _They_ hunted the few remaining humans as if it was a sport.

Long minutes passed, until Red finally breathed a sigh of relief. The ship had not returned, and she'd heard nothing. It appeared _They_ had moved on. Cautiously, she stood and resumed her trip back to the apartment.

Red was relieved to find the foyer door still locked. Once inside the relative safety of the building, she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Wearily, she climbed the stairs to the second floor and tapped on Gram's door with the coded knock they had agreed upon.

There was silence from within the apartment. “Gram?” Red called out. _Perhaps she'd fallen asleep._

There was still no answer. Concerned now, she lowered the knapsack to the floor and readied the shotgun before reaching out to check the doorknob with her left hand. It was locked. She dug the key out of her pocket and awkwardly reached across to unlock it. With a nudge from the barrel of the shotgun, the door swung open easily.

_Oh crap._ The window that lead to the fire escape was broken, its curtain billowing in the breeze. A quick glance didn't reveal anything else out of place in the kitchen. Red moved deeper into the apartment, and as she did, she heard a low rattle coming from her Gram's bedroom.

Red kicked open the door. She'd seen _Them_ before, had even shot several of _Them_ , but that had been at a distance. Up close, the alien towered over her, even bent over as it was to avoid hitting its head on the ceiling. Its dark green carapace glistened as if it were metallic, and the segmented yellow eyes reminded her of a fly's. It was covered with blood. Human blood. . . .

She pulled the trigger, pumped the gun then fired again, even as the alien fell backwards, already dead or dying.

Refusing to allow herself to look at either the alien or the remains on the bed, Red reloaded the shotgun from the stash she kept in her pocket. She closed the door to the bedroom and went to fetch her knapsack from the hallway before returning to the kitchen.

There was a car in the parking lot behind the apartment, one that she had siphoned gas to fill and that she started and ran weekly, enough to keep the battery charged. Once the cover of night fell, it would take her out of the city, hopefully to a safer place, and one with fewer memories. Pulling up a chair, Red sat down to wait for the darkness to descend.


End file.
